Status of 3-D Gridded Constrained Variational Analysis and Initial Results

Description

Recent efforts in improving the ARM constrained variational analysis will be described. These include constraining each layer of the clear-sky atmosphere with the atmospheric thermodynamic equation where radiative heating and cooling are calculated in addition to column-integrated conservations of mass, water vapor and energy. The analysis was carried out on three dimensional (3-D) fields so that all columns of the atmosphere are globally coupled and constrained with surface precipitation, radiation and surface fluxes in the variational adjustments. Initial results from the ARM SGP during the March 2000 Cloud IOP will be presented, including vertical velocity, advective tendencies of moisture and temperature, along with comparison with ERA-Interim analysis. The 3-D structures of the analyzed diabetic heating and moisture sink Q1 and Q2 are interpreted in the context of the dynamic structure of weather systems. We will discuss issues and remaining challenges in making the analysis an ARM VAP product.